Jamie, pictured above, enjoys his life as a resident of The Croft Community. But he also enjoys being an active citizen – and doing a weekly supermarket shop for people who cannot get out to the shops themselves. Jamie really relishes this opportunity. ‘I do this because I like helping people. I’m happy to help’, he says.
Jamie is not alone. People across our communities value and want opportunities to take responsibility and be good citizens, just like anyone else. And with support to voice their ambitions and become more confident in themselves, they can achieve their goals.
Success starts from within
The wish to be part of society is natural. But it’s not always easy for someone with a learning disability to achieve. Providing tailored support can help people learn to believe in themselves. In our communities, you can see this support happening in all kinds of ways.
For example, Learn to Lead groups, (like the one
pictured on the left) can help people to find their
voices, and offer hands-on learning experience
of taking responsibility for projects they've
initiated themselves.
The confidence and skills gained can be
transformational.
Support and training
When people are vulnerable, support and training helps ensure they stay safe and sound when they’re out and about.
Jamie and Joanna (left and right)are learning to
be 'Community Confident'. This training course
involved representatives from the local police
and local businesspeople, and roleplay
sessions, to help people feel prepared for some
of the situations they might encounter in
public settings. This kind os support helps build
crucial awareness and skills. 'I learned a lot',
Jamie says.
Going the extra mile
In our rural communities, like Botton Village, it takes extra resources to support people to connect with their wider community – as James and Neil (left and right, below) have done.
They've taken up the chance to 'befriend'
two local village railway stations, Danby and
Castleton, voluntarily going along once a
week to care for the station gardens and
environment.
'When we started, it was really overgrown',
says Neil. 'We've had a lot of support from
people in Botton to get it where James and I
can manage it now'.
Will you help open up more opportunities?
Be it helping a neighbour like Jean (pictured
with Jamie), volunteering for a local library,
or going along to 'knit and natter' at a
residential care home, doing ordinary things
can be extraordinarily meaningful.
Opportunities exist for more people to gain satisfaction and personal development as citizens of their wider communities. Yet the extra support they need, to help them feel they really can step into these roles and enable them to do so, goes far beyond the funding we receive.
Please, will you help? Your gift will help support more people like Jamie to be the active, engaged citizens they want to be.
